School for the first time
Children start school in the Netherlands when they are 4 years old. A new period in the life of your child and for you as a parent is about to start. Here you will find some information about starting school on primary school De Koekoek.
Start of the day and afternoon
The doors of the school open every day at 8:20. The school officially starts at 8:30, so all children are expected inside before this time. There are two entrances for all the children. If your child is in group 1/2A or 1/2C they can use the main entrance. The children from group 1/2D and 1/2B go in through the backdoor. If you have more than one child in group 1/2, speak to the teachers about which entrance to use. Every week the parents choose one day to go into the school with their child, this so it will not be too busy in all the classrooms. On the other days your child goes to their classroom on their own and you can say goodbye to them outside.
Before your child will go into the classroom, they put their backpack and coat in their locker. After this they enter the classroom and wash their hands. The school day starts with the ‘inloop’. Every child chooses something to do, from the planning board in the classroom. After they hung up their name under the chosen activity they can start. Of course, the parents can help them when they are inside the school.
On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday the children are in school from 8:20 till 12:00 and then again in the afternoon from 13:00 till 15:00. On Wednesdays the kids only go to school in the morning, namely from 8:20 till 12:30. Group 1/2 has every Friday off.
After school the children are taken outside, with their teacher. Children in group 1/2A and 1/2C can be picked up at the main entrance. 1/2B in the backdoor and 1/2D in front of the window of their classroom.
If you would like to speak to the teacher, you can make an appointment. Small comments can be sent by using the Parro-app, for example if your child will be picked up by someone else than the parents.
Sickness and/or absence
If your child will be absent, because of sickness a dental- or doctor’s appointment, you can report this on the Parro-app. Make sure this is done before 8:00. This must be repeated daily if your child is sick longer than one day. When your child feels well enough to go to school again, this can also be reported in the app. You can find a step by step explanation via this link: Absenties via Parro – Kennisportaal (zendesk.com. If you forget to report the absence of your child, the school will contact you to check where your child is.
We read the Parro-app before 8:15, between 12:00 and 13:00 on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and finally after school finishes till 17:00 on all schooldays. We prefer to read important messages before the school starts. Messages about picking your child up will be read until 13:00. If there are any changes for the BSO (After-school care), please inform the teacher and the BSO.
Attention: We have forms for requesting special leave for your child. You can find this on the website or on the Parro-app under the heading ‘buitengewoon verlof’.
Food and drinks
During the morning the children have a little break around 10:00. Healthy snacks (fruit, veggies etc.) and drinks (water, squash etc.), preferably in a reusable cup. Please do not give too much food, everything your childcouldn’t finish will come back home.
The children who stay in school during the lunchtime (TSO), also need to take a lunchbox and an extra drink(cup). The children stay in the classroom during lunchtime and play outside for half an hour.
Lunch
You can sign up your son/daughter or lunch at school, if he/she stays at school during lunch break (1 hour a day, 12.00-13.00). Fill in this form for each of your children:
It will cost € 3,10 per lunch break. You’ll get an invoice every half-term (between the holidays).
If your situation changes, sent an email to tso.dekoekoek@spoutrecht.nl.
Physical education (PE)
On Thursdays the children have physical education in the ‘playroom’ in school. The children get changed in the classroom. The children wear sports shoes (no black soles), sports shorts and a t-shirt. The children must get changed (mostly) by themselves, easy clothes and shoes are therefore handy on Mondays. All the sports clothes can stay in a sports bag, in the locker. The children will take this home every holiday, so it can be washed.
Birthdays
A birthday is of course a very special day, therefore we celebrate this with the children. On your child’s birthday, they are allowed to take some treats for the other children (handy to inform how many children are in the group). Please try and make it a healthy treat again! Your child can choose two other children from the group, to come with them to treat the teacher from the other classes (on the ground floor). If your child has any allergies or is not able to eat some types of food (for example halal), report this to the teacher.
Invitations for birthday parties can be handed out outside of school.
Toys
One day every month we do a toys-morning. The children can then take some toys to school. You can check the calendar for the dates.
Lice
A limited number of parents is allowed inside the school. Therefore, we ask you to check your own child for lice after every holiday. Let the teacher know when you found any lice and/or nits.
Potty trained
Of course, accidents still happen with the youngest children. Every classroom has some extra clothes when needed. Do not forget to wash these and take them back to school, for any other accidents. If you have any clothes that you do not use anymore (especially pants, underpants and leggings), the school is happy to have it!
Vreedzame School
To work on the social-emotional development of the children, our school works with ‘Vreedzame School’ or ‘Peaceful School’.
Every unit, the children receive four ‘chat cards’. These cards contain questions, where you can talk about with your child. This is a way for us to keep the parents updated about what’s happening in the class.
Group 1/2 also has ‘Beer’, the sleepover Teddy Bear. Every weekend Beer has a sleepover with one of the children. Beer owns a suitcase with some clothes and a notebook. The notebook contains all the fun weekends Beer had with the children. Photos and/or drawings make the story even more lively. On Monday the notebook will be read in class, to make a connection between the world in school and at home.
Communication
During the schoolyear there are a couple of moments to talk about the progress your child is making.
We use the Parro-app for most of the communication. After your child turns four, you will receive an email to the app to the right group. Here you can find important statements, updates, and registrations for parent evenings.
Every month you get a calendar, with the themes, activities, and toy-mornings of that month. You can also find this calendar in the classroom.
Every last Friday of the month we send out the ‘Ouderberichten’. Here you can read the latest news about the school.
Younger brother or sister?
De Koekoek is a popular school, therefore brothers and sisters, from the children we already have are prioritized (if they are signed in). Children born later than the 1st of October 2018 can be signed in via Utrecht city council on naardebasisschool.utrecht.nl. You must sign in your child in the term that your child turns three years old. More information can be found on Aannamebeleid.
Voluntary Parental Contribution
To make sure that we can do a variety of activities with the children we ask you to pay a voluntary parental contribution. This contribution is €60 per child. After receiving this, the school budget is set, so we can plan activities. Activities that are paid with this budget are Sinterklaas, Christmas, School camp, excursions etc. Does your child start school after January? Then you can choose how high the contribution is yourself.
You can pay the contribution in two ways.
- Fill in the following form a.s.a.p.
- You can transfer the money yourself. Use the IBAN: NL95INGB0004379024, with the name ‘WOB OBS De Koekoek Onder vermelding van (Name child, group)’.
For more information click this link: Kijk voor meer informatie over de ouderbijdragen ook hier.